Sarra Ina Garten’s roasted rosemary cashews are warm, buttery cocktail nuts tossed with minced fresh rosemary, a kick of cayenne pepper, light brown sugar, and kosher salt. The whole recipe takes about 10 minutes with just six ingredients. They serve 8 as a pre-dinner snack or cocktail party bite, and they disappear faster than almost anything else you can put on a table.
This recipe comes from Ina’s Barefoot in Paris cookbook (2004) and was inspired by the famous bar nuts served at Union Square Cafe in New York City. Ina writes that it is “one of my favorite restaurants in the world” and that these cashews “would satisfy a French host’s needs” as a savory cocktail nibble. The balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and herbal in one bite is what makes her version stand apart from a plain bowl of salted nuts.
The technique that makes these addictive is tossing the cashews with the seasoned butter while they are still hot from the oven. The residual heat melts the brown sugar and butter into a thin glaze that carries the rosemary and cayenne evenly across every surface. Let the nuts cool first and the butter solidifies, so the seasoning clumps in spots and you end up with some cashews that are bland and others that are too salty.
Ina Garten Roasted Rosemary Cashews Recipe
Course: Appetizers4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalSix-ingredient cocktail cashews with a sweet, salty, spicy rosemary butter glaze that coats every nut. Warm them in the oven for 5 minutes, toss with the seasoning, and watch a full pound vanish in minutes.
Ingredients
-
1 pound (450g) roasted unsalted cashews
-
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
-
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
-
1 tablespoon kosher salt
-
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Directions
-
Toast the cashews: Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Spread the cashews in a single layer on a sheet pan. Toast for about 5 minutes until warmed through and fragrant.
-
Mix the seasoning: While the cashews toast, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter in a large bowl. Stir until evenly mixed.
- Toss and serve: Add the hot cashews to the seasoned butter and toss thoroughly until every nut is coated. Serve warm.
Notes
- Buy roasted unsalted cashews, not raw and not salted. Raw cashews need a much longer roast to develop flavor. Pre-salted cashews plus the tablespoon of kosher salt in the recipe will make them inedibly salty.
Mince the rosemary as finely as you can. Large pieces slide off the cashews during tossing. Fine mince clings to the butter glaze and distributes the herb flavor evenly.
Ina says the cashews are best served warm, but if you make them ahead, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat on a sheet pan at 350F (180C) for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.
FAQs
Why does Ina toast the cashews before seasoning them?
Even though the cashews are already roasted when you buy them, 5 minutes in a 350F (180C) oven warms them through and opens up their natural oils. Warm nuts absorb seasoning better and have a crunchier, more satisfying snap than room-temperature ones straight from the bag.
The heat also matters for the coating step. When warm cashews hit the melted butter and brown sugar, the sugar dissolves slightly and wraps each nut in a thin glaze. Cold nuts would cause the butter to harden on contact, and the seasoning would slide right off.
Can you make rosemary cashews ahead of time?
Ina says you can prepare the rosemary butter mixture in advance and toss it with freshly toasted cashews right before guests arrive. If you want to make the whole recipe ahead, the finished cashews store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
They are best warm, so spread them on a sheet pan and reheat at 350F (180C) for 3 to 4 minutes before serving. If you are stocking a cocktail party menu with make-ahead snacks, Ina’s Blue Cheese Crackers freeze as dough logs weeks ahead and slice to bake alongside the cashews with no extra effort.
Can you use a different nut instead of cashews?
Ina’s Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts from How Easy Is That? (2010) proves that this rosemary-cayenne-sugar combination works across multiple nuts. That recipe uses a mix of cashews, walnuts, pecans, and almonds with maple syrup and chipotle for a smokier, more complex version.
For this simpler recipe, pecans and almonds both hold up well as straight swaps. Walnuts can taste slightly bitter with cayenne, so reduce the cayenne to a quarter teaspoon if you go that route. Whatever you choose, buy them roasted and unsalted so you control the salt level yourself.
Why does Ina add brown sugar to a savory nut recipe?
The brown sugar is not there to make the cashews sweet. Two teaspoons dissolved across a full pound of nuts adds barely any noticeable sweetness. What it does is help the butter and rosemary cling to the cashews by creating a thin caramelized coating during the toss.
It also balances the heat from the cayenne. Without a touch of sugar, the cayenne hits sharp and one-dimensional. With it, the heat arrives softer and lingers longer, and you get that sweet-salty-spicy loop that makes you reach for another handful before you realize the bowl is empty.
What should you serve rosemary cashews with?
Ina keeps her cocktail hour simple. In How Easy Is That? she writes that cocktail food at her house is “little silver bowls with salted cashews, ripe cherry tomatoes, vinegary caperberries, or salty potato chips.” These rosemary cashews are the upgraded version of that bowl.
Set them out warm alongside a cold dip and something sharp like olives or cornichons to keep the palate moving. Ina’s Hummus Recipe with toasted pita triangles and a platter of crudités rounds out a cocktail spread that covers crunchy, creamy, and salty without requiring any last-minute cooking beyond warming the nuts.
